Tag: education

Pathshala Campus
A report on Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, published by the online news portal bdnews24.com, has come to our attention (?Shahidul Alam?s Pathshala operates without affiliation,? bdnews24.com, 6 August 2016). Unsubstantiated allegations, backbiting and innuendo and the absence of cross checking characterise the ?report.? It is a shoddy piece of journalism. Continue reading “PATHSHALA?S RESPONSE TO BDNEWS24.COM?S REPORT”

At a time when our entire education system is in crisis, the quality of education is in question and the values that student?s inculcate is a source of fear.?A student of?Pathshala South Asian Media Institute,?in response to questions about the validity of the very certificate he has obtained, talks passionately about the institution?s pedagogic model and how he has been transformed by it.

Mahtab NafisA letter to whom it may concern
BEFORE joining Pathshala, I had studied in nine schools and one university (all certified) in this country. But never before had I found an environment similar to the one at Pathshala. South Asian Media Institute, founded by Shahidul Alam. Forget about competing, none of them are even light years close.
From a very early age I had sincere doubts and disagreements with the ?socially accepted? and ?certified? educational systems. For, all I had seen was a bunch of sheep-like people following a curriculum given by a governing body or authority without assessing, questioning or having an opinion on the teaching method or the materials. It seemed that people blindly followed the dictum ?this is how things are?, an attitude which I could never accept. Everywhere, I saw teachers give students instructions or orders to follow a rigid structure, to memorise, to cover the syllabus. Even those studying in a creative field had teachers who would promote and indoctrinate a particular pattern of thinking or school of thought. This basically means that you are thinking other people?s thoughts and are being conditioned in someone else?s mental shadow. Continue reading “On the ?uncertified? Pathshala”

OPINION – 11 MAR 2016?BY DANIEL BAUMANN Frieze.com

How a photography course in Dhaka is challenging religious and artistic prejudices

Rasel Chowdhury, winner of the 3rd Samdani Art Award, People on low incomes living in slums beside the railway station at Khilgaon, Kamalapur, Dhaka, 2012, (from the series ?Railway Longings?, 2011?15). Courtesy the artist

I just got back from the third Dhaka Art Summit (DAS) in?the Bangladeshi capital. DAS is the?brainchild of Nadia and Rajeeb Samdani, a young collector couple based in the city; it?s not a biennial, nor an art fair or a festival, but an?intense four-day summit. For it?s third edition, the Chief Curator of DAS, Mumbai-based Diana Campbell Betancourt, decided not to focus on a particular theme per se but on the South Asia region as a?whole, which in itself is a contradictory concept. (What exactly is South Asia? Is Australia a part of it? Sri Lanka? Iran?) She engaged several curators, including me; I was invited to organize an exhibition for the Samdani Art Award, which is given to a Bangladeshi artist between the ages of 20 and 40. Back in October 2015, I had spent a week in Dhaka meeting the 20 artists who had been shortlisted for this award by Aaron Cezar, director of the London-based Delfina Foundation. From my very first conversation with the artists, I?sensed that?we?were at the beginning of an extremely interesting week.
I learned a lot about Bangladesh ? the local scene, art education, religion and why, for instance, art?works about love do matter. Some artists I met mentioned that their partner was either Hindu or?Muslim and that they could not tell their respective families. As the?week went on, I became increasingly enthusiastic about the obvious sense?of urgency with which all of the nominated artists work: Bangladesh is rapidly changing on all levels, and?these artists are all embracing the challenge to get involved, to have their voices heard and to find appropriate forms of?expression for that.
This seemed particularly true?for many of the photographers on the shortlist. As it turned out, they all came from a single school: Dhaka?s Pathshala South Asian Media Institute. Set up in 1998?by the Bangladeshi photographer, writer, curator and activist Shahidul Alam, this private school has been dedicated to documentary photography and reportage from the beginning. Located in the central Dhanmondi/Panthapath area of Dhaka, it is a small institute for about 90 students who follow the three-year professional programme, and for about 600 students enrolled in the short, one-semester course. Initially funded by international organisations, Pathshala now is entirely supported through tuition fees. (Though relatively modest at?US$460 per semester for the professional programme, inevitably, as in Europe or the US, students are?likely to come from more affluent backgrounds, while there are scholarships allowing five students?per year to study for free.) Continue reading “New Developments: How a photography course in Dhaka is challenging religious and artistic prejudices”

Open Call For Iranian and Bangladeshi ArtistsExchange Program (Iran ? Bangladesh)1-31 July, 2016 ? Tehran
7 January ? 7 February?, 2017?? DhakaApplication Deadline10 May, 2016Pathshala?and Kooshk Residency present the first?round of?exchange program between Tehran and Dhaka?for two Bangladeshi?and two Iranian visual artists. This exchange program exists out of two parts. The first part is held from 1-31 July,?2016 in Tehran, Iran.
In?this residency, the Bangladeshi?artists have the opportunity to work in Tehran, Iran and collaborate with the Iranian artists. During this time, the space will be open to a local public of artists, students, and art critics. The program will end with a presentation and a panel discussion. Continue reading “Open Call For Iranian and Bangladeshi Artists”

Introduction to the Drik 2016 calendar.

A behind the scenes glimpse at a remarkable media phenomenon:

The dot matrix Olivetti printer was noisy. The XT computer came without a hard drive: two floppy disks uploaded the operating system. When the electricity went (as it often did), we had to reload it. Our bathroom doubled as our darkroom. A clunky metal cabinet housed our prints, slides, negatives and files. Md. Anisur Rahman and Abu Naser Siddique were our printers; I was photographer, manager, copy editor and part-time janitor. Cheryle Yin-Lo, an Australian who had read about us in a western magazine, joined as our librarian. We offered and she happily accepted a local salary.

Bentleys and Benefits is a unique exhibition at?Rich Mix?capturing the story and social diversity of the East End through the eyes of the young people who live here. The exhibition brings together the outcomes of ?Demystifying Photography?, a series of photography workshops, by?Drik Picture Library, Dhaka in collaboration with?Rich Mix?and?Morpeth School.
Five workshops between October 2014 and June 2015 were conceived to offer the youth of East London an opportunity to work with?Shahidul Alam, founder of?Drik?and world-renowned photographer, writer and activist from Bangladesh, and learn how to use digital technology to capture a memorable image by using key elements of story telling. By exploring emotion and perspective, and studying qualitative shifts between first person and third person narratives,?Alam?introduces the often-neglected sphere of visual literacy.
The photographers, all sixth form students at?Morpeth school, have been working closely with?Alam, to develop their own voice through photography; resulting in an intimate, compassionate and inclusive dialogue shaped by their experiences of life in Bethnal Green. The result is a photographic journey through the financial and social landscape of this extraordinary area of London.
Photographers: Arshad Ali, Fahim Ali, Halima Khanom, Mohammad Nahid Zakaria, Mohammad Zackariyya Ullah, Zayn Ali, Yusuf Saib?(Morpeth school)
Workshop Leader:?Shahidul Alam?(Drik)
Text: Mohammad Zackariyya Ullah (Morpeth school), Mary George (Drik)
Flyer Design: Yusuf Saib?(Morpeth school)
Logo Design: Yusuf Saib?(Morpeth school)
Social Media: Halima Khanom, Mohammad Zackariyya Ullah, Arshad Ali?(Morpeth school)
Fundraising: Zayn Ali, Mohammad Nahid Zakaria (Morpeth school), Mary George (Drik)
Coordinators: Matthew Keil and Sam French (Morpeth school), Mary George (Drik)
Project Management: Saiful Islam (Drik)
Prints proudly supported by?theprintspace.

Pathshala South Asian Media Institute invites applications for the post of Contractual (Part Time) Teachers (Job Title: Faculty member) to teach the short courses and workshops the institution offers (Basic Photography Course, Foundation Course, Digital Photography, Teen Photography etc.) under the supervision of Head of Photography/Academic Council/Faculty Moderator. The Faculty Member/s will be responsible for planning, organising and implementing an appropriate educational programme at Pathshala in a learning environment that guides and encourages students to develop and fulfill their academic potential along with delivering an innovative and inspirational educational module that will positively impact the students? learning. Teachers need to be competent in teaching photography techniques including camera exposures, digital photography and composition as well as the appropriate use of light and lens. Other responsibilities include establishing, developing and implementing the curriculum and course materials for each semester. Contributing to the development and co-ordination of a particular area of the curriculum; providing a variety of learning materials, designing projects, organising group sessions and other activities to enhance the learning experience; maintaining discipline in accordance with the rules of the institute; performing certain duties including student support, counseling students with academic problems and providing student encouragement by treating all students fairly within a professional relationship. The faculty member should also ensure that there is total confidentiality of all material used in the Pathshala courses and that there are no situations leading to a conflict of interest with competing institutions without prior managment approval. Preparing reports on one?s own activities with results against targets and suggestions will need to be presented in faculty meetings.
S/he should be holding a minimum graduate or higher degree with good spoken and written Bangla and English and have at least 2 years of working experiences in a related field along with teaching experience on relevant subjects or work experience as a professional. Knowledge of relevant technology is assumed. Job location is in Dhaka and salary is negotiable with other benefits as per organisational policy.
Interested candidate should apply with a CV and a recent photograph to [email protected] or [email protected]by March 24, 2015.
Or
Send at this address by ?mentioning the post? on the envelope:
To
Head of Human Resource Department
Pathshala South Asian Media Institute
16, Sukrabad, Panthapath, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh.www.pathshala.net

Pathshala South Asian Media Institute invites applications for the post of Head of Photography for the Photography Department who will be responsible for the overall strategy of the department under the supervision of the Principal. His/her responsibilities include assisting the principal in providing the overall leadership of Pathshala; setting goals for the Photography Department together with the principal, manage and lead the Photography Department in order to achieve these goals for the department and for Pathshala as a whole; developing curriculum for the Photography department of Pathshala South Asian Media Institute; guiding the team in the development and implementation of short and long-term courses, schedules and programme plans; evaluating performance and the effectiveness of training programmes, providing recommendations for improvement and developing testing evaluation procedures; representing the Photography department of Pathshala when and where necessary; keeping liaison with universities, funding & donor agencies, media institutes and other media organisations; taking classes as a regular faculty member; seeking out interesting ideas and innovations through information, knowledge management; promoting regional and international collaboration, team building and learning and bearing overall responsibility for designing short & long course and training programmes after consulting with the academic council. ? At the minimum, s/he should have a graduate degree with good spoken and written Bangla and English skills having at least 5 years of working experiences in a related field. Sound ability to deal with programme and project development would also be expected. Job location is in Dhaka and salary is negotiable with other benefits as per organisational policy. Interested candidate should apply with a CV and a recent photograph to [email protected]?or [email protected] by March 24, 2015. Or Send at this address by ?mentioning the post? on the envelope: To Head of Human Resource Department Pathshala South Asian Media Institute 16, Sukrabad, Panthapath, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh. www.pathshala.netPathshala is an equal opportunities employer.

It?s an unlikely mix. ?The powerful but sage Abir Abdullah,, the protesting activist Taslima Akhter, the quiet and reflective Sarker Protick, the agent provocateur Jannatul Mawa, the deep and other worldly Anisul Hoque, the disturbingly questioning Tushikur Rahman and the visionary Shahidul Alam. Collectively they shape one of the most powerful photographic movements of modern times. Continue reading “Defying the Laws of Gravity”

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